language-anxiety
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- PaperLanguage Teaching Research2 Jul 2026
The Role of Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Academic Achievement and Learning Anxiety: Evidence From Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language
Yavuz Ercan Gül, Ahmet Taş
This study examined how instructors' autonomy-supportive behaviors affect academic achievement and language learning anxiety among 1,002 learners of Turkish as a foreign language. Autonomy support positively predicted achievement, while the negative effect of anxiety was not statistically significant. Speaking anxiety and learning process support were the strongest contributors to the shared variance between autonomy support and anxiety.
Original abstract
This study aims to examine the effect of instructors’ behaviors supporting learner autonomy on students’ academic achievement and anxiety levels related to reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. The study was conducted during the 2023–24 academic year with two sample groups, consisting of 1,002 students learning Turkish and 115 instructors working at the School of Foreign Languages of a state university. Participants were selected using simple random sampling within the accessible population. Reliability and validity analyses of the scales were conducted, and the adequacy of the measurement models was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT). According to the results of multiple group analysis and canonical correlation analysis, the necessity (β = 0.114, p < 0.001) and display (β = 0.020, p = 0.001) dimensions of learner autonomy support behaviors had a positive and significant effect on academic achievement. However, the effect of foreign language learning anxiety on academic achievement was not statistically significant (β = −0.031, p > 0.05). The canonical correlation analysis revealed a 40% shared variance between the Learner Autonomy Support Scale (LASS) and Turkish Language Learner Anxiety Scale (TFLAS) data sets, with speaking anxiety contributing most strongly to the first canonical variable, while learning process support emerged as the most influential autonomy-support dimension. The findings indicate that instructors’ autonomy-supportive behaviors positively influence the academic achievement of learners of Turkish as a foreign language. Although anxiety negatively affects academic achievement, this effect is not statistically significant. Overall, the results are consistent with the literature, highlighting that supporting learner autonomy enhances motivation and may reduce anxiety in language learning. These findings emphasize the importance of learner-centered approaches and autonomy-supportive instructional strategies in teaching Turkish as a foreign language and offer practical guidance for instructors seeking to promote active student participation in the learning process.
- PaperReCALL6 Mar 2026
How do they stack up? Perceived communicative competence, foreign language anxiety, teacher support, and classroom environment in EFL learners’ willingness to communicate in MOOCs
Wenqian Huang, Pengzhan Yang, Huizhong Shen, Hongzhi Yang
Investigated factors influencing Chinese EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) in MOOCs, distinguishing oral and written dimensions. Trait-like factors (perceived communicative competence, foreign language anxiety) negatively impacted both, while teacher support positively affected oral but not written WTC. Classroom environment enhanced both forms but technical difficulties and lack of peer connection were barriers.
Original abstract
Given the shift to technology-mediated communication, this study investigated the factors that influence Chinese EFL learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in the second language (L2) in MOOCs. While most previous studies conceptualized L2WTC as a unified construct, this study made a first attempt to distinguish its oral and written dimensions, thereby addressing an underexplored gap and capturing the complexities of both modes in online learning environments. Data were collected through questionnaires from 323 Chinese undergraduate EFL learners and complemented by semi-structured interviews with 24 learners representing high, medium, and low levels of oral and written L2WTC. Unexpectedly, the results indicated that trait-like factors (perceived communicative competence and foreign language anxiety) negatively impacted both forms of L2WTC, whereas the influence of context-specific factors (teacher support and classroom environment) was more complex. Teacher support positively affected oral L2WTC but had a limited impact on written L2WTC. The positive aspects of the classroom environment, such as its flexibility and technological use, enhanced both oral and written L2WTC, though technical difficulties and a lack of peer connection also emerged as barriers to communication. These findings provided new insights for research in online learning environments and further suggested strategies to promote positive factors while mitigating negative ones to enhance oral and written L2WTC.